College football has a long history of corporate sponsorship, primarily with their bowl games. The Fiesta Bowl has long been connected to Tostitos, the Sugar Bowl to Allstate, and so on, yet on Thursday, news broke that sponsors could be making a play for conference naming rights.
Ross Dellenger, a college football writer for Yahoo Sports, announced that Conference USA is exploring a lucrative sponsorship for naming rights, with Globe Life insurance being a possibility. Meanwhile, the Big 12 conference is also making a play for a naming rights sponsorship, with Allstate presenting Commissioner Brett Yormark with a massive financial deal. CVC Capital Partners, a global private equity firm, is also looking to gain a stake in the conference in return for a $1 billion cash infusion.
Conference USA: Looking to Change Landscape of College Football
College Football continues to make changes, especially after the NCAA legalized name, image, and likeness (NIL), allowing players to compensate for their performance and brand. In a class-action lawsuit settled earlier this year (House v. the NCAA), college football’s governing body will permit schools to pay players through a $2.8 billion compensation. With new income streams becoming available for coaches, players, and schools, conferences are now eyeing naming right sponsorships that would generate millions of dollars.
More news: Conference USA is also deeply exploring a multi-million dollar naming rights sponsorship, sources tell @YahooSports.
One of the companies under consideration is Globe Life. Possible new league names include Globe Life Conference USA or Globe Life Conference.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 13, 2024
Conference USA, home of the Lousiana Tech Bulldogs, the Western Ketucky Hilltoppers, and Liberty Flames, could eventually become the “Globe Life Conference USA” or “Global Life Conference” if they strike a deal with insurance power Globe Life in a naming rights sponsorship. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports that conference officials have done their due diligence in striking a deal with Globe Life and that the move has received “wide support.” The conference could form an agreement with the insurance juggernaut or another sponsor by this time next year. The potential financial details are unknown, but the Big 12’s proposed naming rights deal with Allstate could net the conference $30 million and $50 million annually.
C-USA: Undergoing Shift in Members
Like most conferences in major college sports, C-USA is going through a massive overhaul regarding affiliated schools. Conference USA houses Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, FIU, Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, and Middle Tennessee State. Liberty carried the conference last year, going 13-1 and earning a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Meanwhile, C-USA will add Kennesaw State, Delaware, and Missouri State by the summer of 2025. Additionally, nine teams have left the conference since 2022.
Florida Atlantic ended its decade-long run with the conference last year, joining UTSA, Rice, North Texas, Charlotte, and UAB in The American. C-USA also saw Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Mississippi dart for the Sun Belt the year prior.
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